Ole Miss on Friday announced the hire of former Rebel football player Bryan Brown as a senior member of Lane Kiffin's staff, which will necessitate a shuffling of defensive duties.
A native of Corinth, Miss., who played basketball for the Rebels in 2002 before transitioning to football from 2003-06, Brown will be the new co-defensive coordinator and secondary coach, where he'll handle both cornerbacks and safeties.
He previously spent the past 12 seasons as a key member of Scott Satterfield's staffs, and the last six as defensive coordinator at Appalachian State, Louisville and Cincinnati.
"We are excited to add a high-quality coach like Bryan Brown to our staff," Kiffin said. "He has deep Ole Miss roots as a player, and as a coach, he has proven himself multiple times to be one of the top defensive coaches and recruiters in the nation. He has a proven pedigree, and I think it continues to show our commitment to making Ole Miss Football a national program that competes at the highest level on both sides of the ball."
The Ole Miss secondary was coached by Wes Neighbors (safeties) and Keynodo Hudson (corners) last season. Hudson is no longer listed on the Rebels' staff page, while Neighbors has been moved to linebackers. The 2023 season was the first on staff for both coaches.
Kiffin still has one spot open on his staff following tight ends coach John David Baker landing the East Carolina offensive coordinator job last month.
The 2023 campaign, Kiffin's fourth at the school, was his best yet; the Rebels went 11-2, losing only to No. 4 Georgia and No. 5 Alabama, and ended the year with a Peach Bowl victory and a No. 9 final ranking -- the program's best finish since 1969. With a bushel of Portal acquisitions and the return of quarterback Jaxson Dart, the Rebels will be expected to reach the 12-team College Football Playoff in 2024.
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